What they mean is there is a shortage of people who are qualified, experienced, type rated, and able to go to work immediately, at no cost to the airline. They do not want to spend money on training and testing, or pay high wages.
It's all to do with money.
Precisely. And in NZ, the "shortage" is talked up by the flight training industry in an effort to increase their revenues, a cynical act as it only makes the job hunt harder for the newbies. But then they don't care about that, do they...